NM committee OKs proposal for same-sex marriage

Posted:
01/31/2013 06:47:02 PM MST

SANTA FE — Voters could decide whether to legalize gay marriage under a proposal that's cleared its first hurdle in the Legislature.

The House Consumer and Public Affairs Committee voted 3-2 on Thursday in favor of a constitutional amendment allowing same-sex couples to be married. The committee's Republican members opposed the measure.

The proposal must clear two other committees to reach the 70-member House for a vote. It also needs Senate approval before it could be placed on the 2014 general election ballot.

The measure likely faces difficulty because the Legislature in the past has turned down proposals for domestic partnerships.

Former Attorney General Patricia Madrid issued an advisory letter in 2004, saying state law limits marriage to a man and a woman and that county clerks shouldn't issue licenses to same-sex couples.